6 Ways to Teach Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night

Now that London is 14 months old, we have attempted to adjust her sleep training and evening schedule to help teach our baby girl how to sleep through the night. Our bedtime routine usually begins with a bath using our favorite Bebe de Luxe Coconut and Oat Milk Bath mix. This luxurious milk bath works wonders for mommies and daddies but is super gentle and made for babies that love to be pampered. London and I love the all-natural, vegan formula that is made with 100% certified organic and food-grade ingredients. Bebe de Luxe not only cleanses baby’s skin but also replenishes its moisture. Its oatmeal-infused mixture also has natural soothing and anti-itch properties that makes it perfect for babies even with the most sensitive skin.

Although, our schedule is changing, the goals are the same: to get baby on a regular bedtime routine, to skip middle of the night feedings, and to sleep for more than six hours. Luckily, London has skipped middle of the night feedings for a while now but we were still struggling to get her to sleep through the night. I enlisted the help of the world-renowned SLEEP DEPT. to help with our sleep training experience. They are known to help moms and dads all over the world reclaim their sleep using gentle sleep techniques.

The SLEEP DEPT. takes a personalized approach and uses a number of techniques to help parents reclaim their sleep and get their babies to sleep well through the night. The SLEEP DEPT. counsels parents with children ranging from infants and toddlers to preschoolers. They also offer home visits, mommy groups and skype conferences for busy families that are not local.

Founder and Professional Infant Sleep Consultant, Erika Lamour began by sending us a survey to fill out so she can learn more about us. She learned about London’s current sleeping, eating and behavioral habits. She also inquired about her health history, nighttime and daytime routines. Erika responded by providing us a personalized, detailed plan and provided her constant support throughout the process.

Erika was absolutely wonderful and extremely well-versed on the sleeping patterns of babies everywhere. It is important for parents to be dedicated and to commit to a sleep plan for their babies. I was warned beforehand, and couldn’t agree more that it is probably harder for me to hear London cry it out than it was for her. Erika encourages a bedtime routine that baby can relate to and recognize. The first few nights were tough but London adjusted and we finally have a big girl that sleeps through the night. Of course, one day daddy was out of town and another day, Grandma was spending the night and I noticed a slight regression from London’s sleep patterns but this could be expected. We just picked right up the next day and London nestled back into her new bedtime routine.

We can proudly say that we have reclaimed our essential hours of sleep, laying the foundation for a life at home that is healthy, happy and full of energy. Who knew that a visit to The SLEEP DEPT. is all we needed to to reclaim those precious hours of sleep? Happy ZzZz!

TIPS FOR SLEEP TRAINING:

1. DECIDE ON A BEDTIME

It is important that both parents agree on a bedtime and don’t waver too far from it. This helps your child recognize when bedtime is near.

2. ESTABLISH A ROUTINE FOR YOUR BABY

Teach your baby the difference between night and day. Wake up at the same time every morning and open the blinds so you let the natural light in. At night, establish a quiet routine where you take baby a bath, read a bedtime story and head up to bed. It is actually quite funny to see how quickly London learned that when mommy or daddy are standing at the bottom of the stairs that means it’s time to head up to bed. She will pout and whimper as she slowly takes the super long walk from her play area to the stairs.

3. LEARN TO READ YOUR BABY’S CUES

Watch closely for signs that your baby is getting tired. This is especially important for the start of your sleep training. You want to pick a bedtime that is both comforting to your baby and the rest of the family. I can tell that bedtime is near when London rubs her eyes, starts getting cranky and can’t stop yawning.

4. PUT BABY DOWN

Comfort baby until they fall asleep with a pat on the back, chest or by stroking their forehead every now and then until they fall asleep.

5. IF BABY WAKES UP, ASSESS THEIR CRY

Let them cry it out for a predetermined amount of time and then reassess and decide if you need to go in.

6. START BY GIVING BABY MINIMAL ATTENTION

If you go in the room, start by patting or rubbing their back to get them to fall back sleep. If your baby continues to cry then consider swaddling, rocking, giving them a pacifier or going for a walk with your baby before placing them back in their crib. Remember, the goal is to help baby learn to self-soothe. As always, regression could be expected during growth spurts, teething times and when baby isn’t feeling well- and at times like these, we just start again tomorrow!

What are your tips and tricks for getting your little one to sleep through the night?

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27 Comments

We did follow these steps when my daughters were younger and it worked. The important things are to set the routine so they know what to expect when it comes to bed time. Nothing beats when your children can sleep on theirn own and through the night! Hannah xo

Firstly I don’t even have a child yet but love reading about sleep routines… I find it so interesting and I guess hope I will be well prepared for when the time comes (don’t you love how optimistic non-parents can be lol?). Secondly, that Coconut & Oat Milk Bath sounds and looks incredible!

Thanks so much for these tips! Sleep is so important – for the parents and the baby! My first would fall sleep like a pro but the second to this day hates to sleep. I find myself still using many of these techniques with him today and his is two. Things like parting their back helps at any age !

It’s definitely all about consistency. And perseverance. And wine. Lots of wine. And you and your partner have to be on the same team or its impossible. Our LO still needs to be cuddled tk sleep but she sleeps thru so we deal with that part. Small victories I say!

OMG we use Bebe de lux too!! Your bedtime routine sounds amazing, to be honest we really don’t have one. However, their product does smell amazing on my daughters skin. We’ve been fortunate bed sharing has worked for us, since my daughter loves to nursing throughout the night.

With my first daughter, I had an amazing pediatrician. Faith had colic and stayed up the whole night. The DR taught me just to give her a bit of some sort of water. I forgot what it was now. Within a few weeks, she slept through the night. I was so thankful. I never had a problem with my second daughter.

We use Bebe de Luxe too – my little guy loves it! And totally agree, it’s all about routine and sticking it to it. They have regressions that are out of your control, but if you stick with it they will go back to their good routines 🙂

I don’t have kids yet, but I can imagine it’s difficult to get a baby on a sleep schedule. I mean, I have a hard enough time keeping myself on a sleep schedule. 😉 I imagine someday I’ll be a parent though, so it’s nice to know there are resources like The Sleep Dept.

My baby never slept well (especially at night) until I started using the HWL method by Susan Urban from her “How to teach a baby to fall asleep alone” ebook from her website: http://www.parental-love.com – by far one of the best things I’ve ever got my hands on to get him to fall asleep quickly and without rocking him to sleep. Can’t imagine life without it now! I heard about it at a playground when women were talking about how great it is!